A “selfish” driver who killed two best friends and injured two others after he ploughed into their car at more than twice the speed limit has been jailed.
Isidoro Olim had drunk four pints, including one just six minutes before the fatal crash in City Way, Rochester, that claimed the lives of Andrew Cass and Neil Harris.
Isidoro Olim and Isabel Nunes, from Rochester, have been sentenced after two people were killed in a fatal crash along City Way, Rochester. Picture: Facebook
A sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court heard how the 35-year-old had lied that it was his wife, Isabel Nunes, who had been driving and that he refused a breathalyser.
The victims had been at a gig in Gravesend with close friends Sue and Lawrence Smith on October 29, 2022, when they returned to Rochester to try and find Mr Cass’s phone, which they believed was left in a van on a friend’s drive.
Having reversed on the drive and turning right to leave, Olim’s blue BMW 118D, which was speeding at 77mph along a 30mph road, smashed into the rear offside of the Skoda Fabia at around 11.45pm. The court heard he had hit the brakes too late and the impact speed was 65mph.
Mr Cass and Mr Harris were in the passenger seats of the car and hadn’t put their seatbelts on yet. Mr Cass, from Cornwall but staying with family in Medway, was ejected from the car due to the impact.
Both men died from blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
The court heard that Olim, who ran a cleaning business at the time, was seen by witnesses after the crash on a phone call. He had called his partner 15 times and during a 21-second conversation told her to come to the scene of the crash.
Nunes told police she was the driver at the time of the crash, gave an account of her driving, allowed herself to be arrested as the driver of the BMW, and complied with breath test and sobriety checks.
The care home worker also detailed that she feigned injury while in custody to make her account more credible, and deleted the call history from her phone before handing it to the police for examination.
Isidoro Olim, 35, was speeding at more than two times the speed limit when he crashed into a Skoda Fabia in City Way, Rochester, back in October 2022. Picture: Kent Police
Isabel Nunes, 34, has been jailed for perverting the course of justice. Picture: Kent Police
However, after a longer investigation, the pair were interviewed again in January, when Olim admitted he was driving at the time of the crash.
Nunes and Olim, of Berkley Close in Rochester, were charged two years after the crash, in October 2024, with perverting the course of justice. Both pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Olim, originally from Portugal, was also charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, relating to Mr Cass and Mr Harris, as well as causing serious injury by dangerous driving, relating to Lawrence and Sue Smith.
The defendant had been drinking at a bar in Rochester. When a blood sample was taken around five hours later his blood alcohol level was below the legal limit. However, it was the prosecution’s case that at the time of the crash he may have been over the limit.
The court heard that the Smiths had no recollection of the crash.
An investigation by serious collision officer PC Simon Masteron found that had Olim been driving at 30mph, there would not have been a collision.
Earlier this month, Olim was due to stand trial at Maidstone Crown Court, but in front of a packed courtroom and before a jury was sworn, he pleaded guilty to all offences.
A victim impact statement from Mr Harris’s wife, Jacqueline, detailed how the Sittingbourne man’s two sons had been impacted by his death.
He was my best friend and the love of my life…
“He meant the world to me and our sons,” the emotional widow told the court.
“He was my best friend and the love of my life. This is not how we imagined his life would end.”
Mrs Harris described her husband as “practical and independent,” while his father, Geoffrey Harris, called him an “unassuming and special person.”
The grieving father added: “He was taken by the selfish acts of someone else.
“Neil was one of the world’s good people, while he [Olim] is one of the selfish and self-serving ones who took him away.”
Widow Sarah Cass had been visiting her brother in America for two weeks and hadn’t seen her husband, who was due to pick her up from the airport.
After he didn’t arrive, she became concerned and tried to find out where he was. After arriving at her mother-in-law’s home, she was told the devastating news.
In a victim impact statement, she said: “I didn’t know what heartache was until this. It’s a real, physical thing and constant. It never goes away. I have had a level of stress I’ve never experienced before.
The fatal collision happened late at night in City Way, Rochester. Picture: Google
“I have people say they are sorry for my loss, but he was taken away from us. It wasn’t me who behaved dangerously, or did nothing to help.
“It was no accident. Someone chose to drink alcohol and drive well over the speed limit.”
Mrs Cass described her husband a “kind, patient and altruistic” man.
Addressing Olim, Judge Oliver Saxby KC said: “I have read each of the Victim Personal Statements uploaded by the prosecution, two of which were read so movingly this morning.
“What you did has shattered the lives of so many people. Andrew Cass was described as a genuine, kind and patient.
Olim and Nunes were both sent to prison. Picture: Facebook
“As someone with no agenda. Compassionate. Wise. Sensitive.
“Neil Harris was described as the fourth leg of his family’s table. Unassuming. Someone intent in finding the positive in people, and supporting them. A good person.
“And each so loved and cherished, and desperately missed. The lives of the Casses and the Harrises will never be the same – by what you did, you have consigned them to sorrow and grief which they feel in every moment of the day and which will last a lifetime.”
The judge added: “A catastrophic situation had been caused by your dangerous driving.
“This was a catastrophic situation which demanded immediate honesty and selfless assistance on both your parts.
“Instead, inexcusably, in self-interest, you reacted with brazen deceit.”
In mitigation, Olim’s defence barrister, Salma Lalani, said he was of previous good character and had no record of bad driving on his licence.
The duo were sentenced together at Maidstone Crown Court. Picture: Sean McPolin
Similarly, Nunes’s barrister, John FitzGerald KC, said she was also of previous good character and played a vital role as a carer for those she looked after.
Olim was sentenced to 17 years and two months in prison for five offences.
Nunes was handed a 20-month custodial sentence and the judge decided she shouldn’t have her sentence suspended.
Olim was given a 10-year driving disqualification, which will come into effect when he is released from custody in around 11 years time.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Hannah Mungeam said: “Olim’s reckless decision to drive, having consumed alcohol and above the speed limit has resulted in two families suffering the immeasurable loss of their loved ones.
“His initial attempt to deny being the driver, and his willingness to shift the blame onto his partner, demonstrated a complete lack of remorse and an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the devastation he caused.
“However, the weight of the evidence against him left him with no choice but to admit the offences.
“I hope this sentence offers some measure of closure to the families and supports them as they continue the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.”